Konoha's Arctic Fox
by Toli'nay
Summary: After several life changing events happening during the fight with Zabuza and Haku, Naruto finds himself with a new sword, a bloodline, a new friend, and a new outlook on life. NarutoxHana
1. Change

**Author's Note: Hey readers! This is my first real attempt at a fanfic, and my second attempt at writing fiction in a long while. I always thought that Haku's bloodline was really interesting and wanted to see more of it. I was inspired by the few fanfics where Naruto had Haku's bloodline, and wanted to make my own attempt at it. Please leave reviews, I'd like to grow as a writer!**

**Important Note for Story: Haku and Naruto told each other about their pasts when they met at the clearing, obviously leaving Zabuza and Kyuubi out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Konoha's Arctic Fox**

Chapter One: _Change_

* * *

_CRACK_

The impact of Naruto's fist slamming into Haku's hunter-nin mask flew the ice user through his own mirror constructs. Haku didn't know what power this blond boy had, but it far surpassed his own, and his masters. Ashamed he had failed his master Zabuza, Haku struggled to stand on his own two feet again to accept death.

Naruto, still in his berserker rage flew at Haku with every intent to kill him and avenge his teammate. Haku knew it was pointless to attempt to dodge and he waited for death, as his mask began to slide off his face due to the damage from the battle.

Haku was confused. Why wasn't he dead? Opening his eyes he saw a stunned Naruto, a fist an inch from crushing his skull. Soon the initial shock wore off. The demon container needed answers right now.

"Y-you! You are that b-boy from the forest! Why are you helping that creep Zabuza?" Naruto stammered out.

"You should know why, Naruto-san. Zabuza-sama saved me from the darkness in return for being his tool. He told me to help him fight you, and I did." Haku told Naruto while trying to stay standing.

Naruto definitely understood, but he didn't like it. The boy in front of him was so similar so him it was scary. Both were hated by their homes, but were saved. For Naruto it was the Sandaime Hokage, Tenten and Iruka-sensei. Was it really Haku's fault his savior was a less than pleasant individual? The demon container's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of what seemed to be chirping birds. Both boys looked over to see Kakashi about to kill Zabuza with a Raiton jutsu.

"I am sorry Naruto-san, but it seems like I still have some use left to Zabuza-sama." said Haku while making a single ice mirror.

Haku stepped into the single mirror made of ice and it allowed him to speed toward the path of Kakashi's assassination jutsu. Meanwhile, Naruto subconsciously pumped some demonic chakra into his legs and ran after Haku. He couldn't let the boy who was so similar to him get killed. The smell of flesh melting filled the air.

* * *

Standing in front of Zabuza were Naruto and Haku, Kakashi's fist sticking out of Naruto' and Haku's back. A fatal wound for both boys, their blood intermingling while their hearts were still able to beat.

Kakashi looked on in horror, he had just lost another one of his teammates. His own subordinate, accidentally killed by his own hand. Why did Naruto do it?

"K-ka-kashi-sensei... Sorry... Haku... like me..." Naruto whispered to his sensei.

After speaking his final words, Naruto slumped over, still being held up by Kakashi's arm that was now being removed from the chests of the two ninja. Zabuza began to chuckle, snapping Kakashi from his thoughts.

"Well, it seems that Haku proved a useful tool after all. Shame he had to die to serve his purpose though." praised Zabuza.

* * *

Clapping accompanied the arrival of Gatou and his thugs.

"Well well, it looks like the Demon of the Mist is not much of a demon after all. Oh and your little friend died to. Serves the brat right. Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway. We were going to kill you both after the bridge builder died anyway. Get him boys!" Gatou ordered.

The men began to charge but stopped when a spiral of red demonic chakra spilled forth from the blond that was laying next to Haku's corpse. All looked on in horror as the sound of cracking bones accompanied the hole in the boy's destroyed chest being filled with new flesh. The boy seemed to grow taller before their eyes, his hair lightening into a bright ice blue and becoming wild. Fangs lengthened, nails became claws, and the whisker marks adorning the boy's face became thicker and deeper. Eventually the chakra died down and the boy struggled to his feet. The bandits were terrified by the cold killer look the jinchuuriki's slit red eyes held for them.

"**Play time.**" the jinchuuriki growled out at the thugs.

In a blur the boy seemingly vanished before a thug suddenly found a clawed hand piercing his chest. Naruto ripped his hand out from the lifeless body and ducked below two incoming swords. With a swipe of his claws one of the attackers had his chest slashed open. Turning around the demon container lunged at the other's throat, biting and tearing the man's windpipe out. While the other thugs stood still, shocked by the brutality, Naruto began a flurry of swipes and spins, removing heads, limbs, and destroying torsos with a brutal efficiency. By the dozens men were brutally slain by the Genin. Kakashi was officially afraid of his student at this point, hoping that the demon fox had not escaped.

"Well I guess we don't need to fight anymore, so could your dogs let me go? I wanna kill Gatou before your brat gets him first." said Zabuza, prepared to kill the man who dared try to cheat him out of payment for a job.

Kakashi nodded dumbly and unsummoned his nin-dogs. Zabuza was gravely wounded but still joined Naruto in slaughtering the bandits. For almost every bandit the Demon of the Mist took down he was impaled by another weapon. Gatou was horrified, his army was being reduced to nothing before his eyes. After a few quick moments that seemed like an eternity Zabuza and Naruto were standing before the short shipping tycoon. Zabuza held his arm in front of Naruto to stop him, and the boy managed to calm down from his bloodlust. Back in control, Naruto had no idea of what he had just done.

"Sorry brat. This bastard is mine." Zabuza told the demon container while holding his arm out to stop the boy from trying anything. Zabuza grabbed Kubikiri Houchou and struck.

And so the reign of Gatou ended by his head rolling off his shoulders. Satisfied, Zabuza collapsed and was caught by Naruto.

"Hey brat... I'm not gonna make it... but I'd like to see Haku before I die." whispered Zabuza, he didn't have the strength for much else.

The boy nodded and carried the badly bleeding nukenin toward his fallen friend. He settled Zabuza down gently.

"Haku... I know you are going to a much better place than me, but I wish that I could join you. I'm... I'm sorry I treated you like a tool; you were like a son to me. Goodbye... Haku-kun. ...And you, brat. Take Kubikiri Houchou. Use it... well. Don't come visit me... too soon. Later brat." Zabuza whispered with dying breath.

Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Mist, was dead. Naruto grasped the handle of Kubikiri Houchou and held it out in front of him in awe. The zanbato was incredibly heavy, but with chakra flowing through the muscles of his arms he was able to at least carry it. Next, the boy walked over to the remnants of Haku's mask and placed both halves into his empty weapons pouch. Naruto then noticed that Sakura was wailing over a now awakened Sasuke, and Kakashi was behind him.

"Naruto, do you have any idea what just happened? Is the seal okay? Am I even still talking to Naruto?" Kakashi asked of his student, on guard in case he was attacked.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei. It's me. No idea what happened. I remember trying to save Haku, and the next thing I recall Gatou was dead. I think the seal is okay." Naruto explained to Kakashi.

Kakashi accepted that for now. He was glad that his students were indeed okay, Naruto did not remember his wholesale slaughtering of over one hundred men, and neither Sasuke or Sakura had seen what happened. Naruto had enough problems interacting with others, the last thing he needed was his teammates completely terrified of him. The copy ninja was intrigued that Zabuza passed his sword on to Naruto, although the boy had grown enough to potentially use it. That probably had something to do with the fox, but Naruto didn't know what happened and Kakashi didn't have the ability to investigate further until they got back to Konoha.

"Ne Kakashi-sensei, why does everything seem smaller?" asked Naruto with his head tilted to the side.

Well that proved it was still Naruto. Only he could not notice that he had grown over a head taller than he used to be, or how he was completely covered with blood. Kakashi hoped Naruto would think that it was his own and Haku's.

"Naruto... after you tried to save Haku, demonic chakra came out of the seal and healed you, but it also seemed to break your bones and make you taller. I am not really sure, but I think it was because of your tenant. We'll have to talk with the Hokage about this when we get back." Kakashi explained, mumbling to himself that he didn't sign up for this when he decided to take on a Genin team.

"Sure Kakashi-sensei. Hey sensei, could you help me bury Haku and Zabuza. They deserve at least that much, and I doubt Sakura-chan or Sasuke would help." asked Naruto, praying his sensei would say yes.

Sakura and Sasuke had both fallen unconscious. Sakura in relief for her Sasuke-kun being alive, and Sasuke due to Sakura squeezing him as hard as she did with his injuries. Kakashi agreed to help Naruto before grabbing his other students and used Shunshin to take them back to Tazuna's house. After a few moments Kakashi returned and helped Naruto with the bodies.

* * *

Naruto led Kakashi to the clearing in the forest where he met and befriended Haku after explaining their lives. Making some simple markers for their graves using some tree branches and rope, he and Kakashi lowered the two bodies into the graves. Naruto placed the right half of Haku's mask into the grave with the boy's body.

"Zabuza... Haku... I'm... I'm sorry it had to end with way. I know for sure that had we met under different circumstances we would have been friends. I promise now on your deaths that I will make you both proud. Zabuza, thanks to you I realized how stupid I am. Before this mission I thought that being a ninja was all about flashy moves and being cool. I realize now that this is a dangerous and serious lifestyle, and my life could end at any moment. I hope I can do my best to grow strong. Haku, you showed me that I can only be truly strong when protecting someone I love. I'll keep you both with me always." Naruto spoke to the bodies, hoping Zabuza and Haku could hear him.

Naruto took the other half of Haku's mask and placed it over the left side of his face, attaching it with some chakra.

"Haku, you will be my armor. You will help protect me and all who I love." Naruto swore.

Grabbing Kubikiri Houchou, he held it over Zabuza's body.

"Zabuza, your sword will help me stop those who threaten my friends and allies." said Naruto while slashing the sword once.

Having said what he needed to say, Naruto began to cover the bodies of Zabuza and Haku. Kakashi was proud of his student, although he knew Naruto would never be the same after this mission, but he didn't realize how much the deaths of Zabuza and Haku had changed the jinchuuriki.

* * *

Kakashi and his student returned to Tazuna's house late in the evening. Everyone had gone to sleep after that day's events. Kakashi and Naruto were both exhausted as well. The boy bid Kakashi a good night, set his mask and zanbato next to him and went to sleep.

* * *

Naruto awoke in unfamiliar surroundings. It appeared to be a dark sewer. The boy began exploring the slightly flooded pathways and entered a room with a large gate. On the doors of the gate was a slip of paper bearing the word 'Seal'. As he neared the gate a claw almost took his head off.

"**Hello human. Welcome to my humble abode.**" spoke an ominous voice.

"K-kyuubi! What are you doing here?" stammered Naruto.

"**We're in your mind idiot. I need to explain some things to you.**" the Kyuubi told to Naruto.

"You sure as hell do! What happened on the bridge?" Naruto ordered to the source of his suffering in the village.

"**Well, you got the brilliant idea to get a hand shoved through your chest. I had to fix the damage. My regeneration works through rapid multiplication of cells near the damaged area. In the process of healing the gaping hole some of the other humans' blood was multiplied as well. Turns out that other brat had a strong dominant bloodline and using his cells to repair you caused a chain reaction leading to most of your body being altered to accompany the genetic material of the bloodline. I took some... liberties to alter you a bit while I was at it. I happened to remove any impurities of the bloodline that occurred over the generations, as well as made you taller, and increased your muscle mass a bit. You embarrass me still, but not quite as much as before.**" explained the demon fox.

Naruto stood there for awhile trying to process all of this information. He had a bloodline. The Kyuubi directly altered his body without his permission. How could the Kyuubi do that?

"**When you used my chakra as much as you did I gained some control of your body. Please do so more often, it was rather fun helping and watching you slaughter all of those men on that bridge. Here, let me show you, since you don't remember all of the fun you had.**" the Kyuubi told Naruto, reading the boys thoughts and chuckling at the memories of the slaughter now playing in the boys mind.

"...No. I couldn't have. You... you made me do it!" muttered the traumatized boy.

"**I did no such thing human. You used my chakra. You wanted those men dead. I just helped a little. Now get out of here and let me out to play more!**" the last order barked out before kicking Naruto out of his own mind.

* * *

Naruto awoke sweating profusely and quickly took in a large breath of air. That was too real to be a dream. He never remembered his dreams, but whatever happened was not a dream. There was no way he was going to go to sleep again so he slipped on his backpack, put Haku's mask in his weapon pouch and grabbed Zabuza's sword. Immediately after entering the forest outside the house, the memories of what he had done returned once more, causing the demon container to vomit at the brutality of it all.

'I can't let that ever happen again, so I need to become strong enough to not need the demon. I doubt I can ever forgive myself for what I have done, but I need to learn from my mistakes. If I really do have Haku's bloodline I should probably see if I could find where he and Zabuza were staying. Since Haku was the last in his bloodline he probably made notes as he developed his own techniques with it. I won't let myself be the idiot any longer. I'm going to learn how to use my new power and protect Konoha and it's people.' thought Naruto, eyes showing fierce determination.

Naruto recalled that Kiba could increase his senses by putting chakra into his eyes, ears, or nose. He attempted pushing chakra to his nose and the result was rather overwhelming.

'I must remember to work on chakra control more, that was way to much.' noted Naruto, having received such a massive boost to his sense of smell he almost passed out from sensory overload. The next attempt was more manageable. He sniffed Haku's mask before putting it away and attempted to find a scent trail. After wandering around for a half hour he picked up a trail. The jinchuuriki quickly followed the scent to Zabuza and Haku's hideout.

* * *

The place was rather simple, but he knew it wasn't a permanent residence. Despite this it was rather well put together. He found Zabuza's room first. The decorations were nonexistent, but he did make a rather interesting find. In a drawer was a scroll of Suiton techniques, most likely stolen from Kirigakure. The blue-haired boy looked down at his shredded clothes and searched for something he could wear due to being around Zabuza's height now. He found some basic black pants and a white muscle shirt. Naruto put the new clothes on and continued his search of the room. After finding nothing else of note the boy entered the other room. Haku's room held much more warmth than Zabuza's. There were a few pieces of furniture outside of the bed. Naruto felt bad for stealing from these two men, but he needed any help he could get. He knew he was weak. He only beat Haku because of the damn fox. Naruto never wanted to use the fox's power again after learning what it let the fox do, and what he did when he used it. Shortly after that thought he found a chest containing several scrolls.

Inside the scrolls were some very excellent finds. Not only did one scroll contain notes on Haku's bloodline, but there was one for his notes on using one handed hand seals. There were also some scrolls on human anatomy, with annotations, most likely made by Haku as well. Placing his findings in his bag he stood up, and finally noticed his reflection in the mirror.

'Holy hell! My hair is blue! Well that is... different.' thought Naruto, wondering when the surprises would ever cease.

* * *

While exiting the hideout Naruto noticed a new scent, that of a fox. It wasn't the Kyuubi, how could something sealed into him have a smell? Curious, he moved around the house to investigate. Turning a corner he found a white fox tied to a tree.

'Must be another pet of Haku's like that rabbit. I should let it go. Can't let it starve.' Naruto thought. He had a soft spot for animals since they never treated him any different from others.

After removing the rope around the fox's neck he expected it to go running off into the woods. Instead it just stared at him for a bit before the silence was broken.

"Thanks mister!" a chipper voice said.

Naruto jumped at the sound. He didn't sense anyone nearby.

"Who's there? Who said that?" Naruto asked, head whipping side to side trying to find the source.

"I did silly. Look in front of you." the voice from before ordered.

"I only see a fox." Naruto stated.

"That's because I am a fox, duh." explained the voice, now revealed to be the white fox.

"How the hell can you talk?" asked Naruto, confused on how a fox was talking to him. Maybe he was losing his mind.

"I'm pretty sure I'm doing what I normally do. Maybe you can understand me like I can understand you even though we don't speak the same language." the fox lectured.

'Well I guess Kiba can understand Akamaru when he barks. This is probably because of Kyuubi-bastard.' Naruto thought, scowling at the thought of being influenced by the Kyuubi once more. He had nothing against foxes, but the villagers would probably be even more convinced he was the demon itself.

"I see... So what is your name. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto introduced himself while slightly bowing.

"Haku-kun calls me Yukiko. I smell him on you. Where is he?" greeted the newly named Yukiko, perking up hoping to hear about Haku.

Yukiko noticed that Naruto's face fell at this. Whatever the boy in front of her was going to say it wasn't good. Haku was very nice to her, but she did wish that Haku would let her fight alongside him.

"I'm very sorry Yukiko... Haku is dead." Naruto sadly informed the fox in front of him.

Yukiko was surprised that Naruto pulled her into a hug. She had been pet before and received the occasional scratch behind the ears, but never a hug. Haku was dead, now what was she going to do? She supposed she could try living in the wild, but that probably wasn't the best idea. She had lived with Haku since she was a kit. Maybe this boy Naruto would let her come with him.

"Thank you Naruto-san. I have only just met you, but you have shown me great kindness. I would like to accompany you if you let me. I've always wanted to be a nin-fox since Haku found me but he always kept me as a pet instead of an ally in battle." Yukiko asked hoping he would say yes.

"I uh... well... I suppose that would be fine. I should warn you though, people at home don't like foxes very much. Twelve years ago the Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konoha and killed many people before it was sealed in me. Most people see me as the demon sometimes and take their pain out on me, so I wouldn't want to put you into danger because you are a fox." Naruto explained to Yukiko, not realizing he just told a stranger that he was container of the Kyuubi, even if that stranger was an animal.

"I am glad for your concern, but I hope you will find that we can protect each other. I won't let anyone hurt you." Yukiko promised to Naruto. She didn't mention the Kyuubi since she imagined it was a sore subject to the boy in front of her.

"Thanks Yukiko, I won't let anyone hurt you either. Let's go do some training. I can't sleep, and we can't go into a battle together if we don't practice can we?" rhetorically asked Naruto with a smirk on his face.

With a yip of approval the new partners Naruto and Yukiko moved quickly to a clearing near Tazuna's house. Naruto formed a few Kagebunshin and ran through a few different drills to work on his teamwork with Yukiko. His new nin-fox companion was very adept at finding his shadow clones and sneaking up on them. She lacked in her damage abilities, but that could be worked on. Unfortunately Yukiko's stamina could not hold a candle to Naruto's. After wearing herself out she curled up by a tree for a nap. While she slept Naruto practiced with his newly obtained weapon, making horizontal and vertical slashes in the air. The sword was rather heavy, and its weight made stopping the sword once it started moving very difficult.

'Damn this sword is heavy, but I think maybe I could take advantage of its weight once I get used to it. Lifting this all the time will definitely help make me stronger and faster. I'm starting to get used to the weight already, although it would be nice if I didn't have to lug it everywhere. I'll look into storage seals later. I need to become good at sealing to see if I can completely block the fox' Naruto mentally noted. He had plenty of work ahead of him.

Filing his thoughts to recall them later, Naruto moved over by where Yukiko was sleeping. The sun was rising now and he had enough light to read the scrolls he had obtained. The blue-haired boy figured that it would be best to work on the techniques that were not part of his bloodline, and learn anatomy. He couldn't remember if they taught much about it at the Academy, and he was mad that he didn't take his education seriously. Naruto read about the basics of human anatomy for an hour before his boundless energy made it hard for him to sit still reading. He would have to work on his patience later, but for now he needed to do something else.

Grabbing the scroll he found in Zabuza's room, he quickly looked at the first jutsu in the scroll. It was a jutsu he knew all to well thanks to this mission. Kirigakure no Jutsu was a D-rank technique that let him pull water from the air into a dense mist. According to the scroll it could be used anywhere, but it worked best near water. Always enjoying a challenge Naruto stayed by Yukiko to practice the jutsu.

Naruto focused on the air around him and imagined the air around him thickening while he did the hand signs. The result of his attempt were rather lackluster, but he didn't expect to get it on the first try either. He kept working at it until Yukiko woke up around 7:00 am to find the area covered with a thick enough mist she could only see a few feet in front of her.

"Naruto-kun was this your doing?" asked Yukiko, finding Naruto from his scent.

"You bet Yukiko! Been practicing for hours. The others are probably up now, lets go meet them for breakfast. I'll introduce you to my team and the family we are staying with." the blue-haired boy told his new battle companion with a fake smile. Inside he was still disgusted with himself about how he killed those men on the bridge, but he did not want to make his new friend worry about him.

The air began to clear as Naruto deactivated the jutsu. He scratched behind Yukiko's ears for a few seconds before speeding off toward Tazuna's house. Naruto could smell breakfast cooking already and went inside, announcing his arrival.

"Hey guys I'm back! And I found a friend!" yelled out the always energetic ninja.

Yukiko shook her head at her partner's antics before following him in the house. Tsunami walked out of the kitchen to greet the energetic boy.

"Hey there Naru...to...kun..." stammered out, trying to understand how it could be Naruto in front of her.

"Uh. Hi Tsunami-san. Why are you looking at me like that? Oh wait, thats right. Only Kakashi has seen the 'new me'. I'll explain at breakfast so I only have to say it once." said Naruto, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head.

Tsunami nodded dumbly before going back to making breakfast, trying to figure out exactly what happened to Naruto. Said boy placed Kubikiri Houchou against the wall before sitting down at the table. Yukiko walked up beside him and sat next to him, both of them waiting for breakfast to be ready.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke grumbled sleepily as they slowly walked downstairs to breakfast. Sasuke was wondering where his idiot teammate was. The dead last was gone before he woke up, and he knew Naruto was a heavy sleeper. His question was replaced another question after he saw a taller, older looking version of Naruto but with pale blue hair sitting at the table with a white fox at his side. Sakura wailed out the unspoken question.

"Who the hell are you?!" shrieked Sakura, hoping he wasn't there to hurt her Sasuke-kun.

"Oi, Sakura-chan! Sasuke! It's me, Naruto. I know I look different. I'll explain once everyone is down here." Naruto told his teammates.

"You better you idiot! What's with the fox?" inquired Sakura.

"It's part of my explanation." Naruto told Sakura, not wanting to repeat himself several times.

Neither of them really wanted to accept that, but they knew Naruto was stubborn so they didn't bother arguing anymore. Both Genin were trying to take in Naruto's new appearance while they waited for everyone else. He was much taller, and seemed more muscular than before, but not overly so. He was wearing new clothes, but they did not know where he got them from. He must have been in town buying them before they woke up. The other obvious difference was his hair. The blond idiot was now a blue-haired idiot. Sakura idly thought that Naruto was much better looking now, but still couldn't compare to her Sasuke-kun. Proud of her loyalty to the Uchiha she turned to him and smiled brightly. Sasuke ignored Sakura and figured that while the dead last may have gotten bigger and had a dye job, the idiot was pathetic compared to an Uchiha such as himself. The Uchiha was curious about why Zabuza's sword was against the wall near Naruto though. He could use it to kill _him_.

After a few minutes breakfast was done cooking and everyone else in the household joined the three Genin at the table. Naruto grew rather nervous at the stares from everyone in the house. Rubbing the back of his nervously while giving them his big fox grin he figured he should start explaining.

"I guess you are wondering why I look different huh?" Naruto asked knowing the answer.

He received nods from everyone, and Naruto continued.

"Okay, well I guess during the fight on the bridge I activated a bloodline. I'm not really sure what I can do yet other than my physical changes. The fox here is Yukiko. I found her in the woods while I was wandering around since I couldn't sleep. She likes me so I am going to keep her." explained the boy, leaving out quite a few details and bending several truths. He really hoped that it would be enough and they would drop the subject.

Kakashi knew his student wasn't telling everything, but he probably didn't want to tell his teammates too much information. He was very curious about the fox as well, one wouldn't find a fox that color in this part of the Elemental Countries.

"Hey dead last. What is Zabuza's sword doing here?" the Uchiha prodigy asked of his teammate.

"Oh yeah. Before he died Zabuza told me that he wanted me to learn to use his sword." Naruto stated like it wasn't a big deal.

To say that the Uchiha was mad at this was quite an understatement.

"What?! How could a dead last like you learn to use a sword? Zabuza should have given his sword to me. Give me the sword dead last. I can use it to kill _him_." an angry Sasuke yelled out.

"No." Naruto deadpanned.

"What?!" asked the Uchiha, growing angrier by the second.

"I said no. Zabuza wanted me to use his sword and I will honor his dying wish." stated again, hoping his bastard of a teammate would get the picture.

Being the last surviving loyal Uchiha, Sasuke did not really know the meaning of the word 'no'. Enraged, Sasuke jumped out of his seat and ran towards the sword. Everyone was surprised at his actions and did not move to stop him. It did not matter in the end though. As soon as Sasuke's hand wrapped around the grip of the massive zanbato, spikes shot out piercing his hand. He yelled out in pain, clutching his injured hand.

"NARUTO! What did you do to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled at Naruto, punching him in the head. Yukiko growled at her for this. She had just met Naruto's teammates and already she didn't like either of them.

"What? I didn't do anything. I guess Kubikiri Houchou just doesn't like him, or something." Naruto said trying to save himself from more hits. Sakura always hit him so hard when she was mad at him. He thought at least Sakura would be happy he activated his bloodline and obtained a sword, but maybe there was no point trying to impress Sakura. She only had eyes for arrogant bastards apparently.

Kakashi was rather ashamed of the actions of Sasuke and Sakura. He expected much better of both of them. He could see the hurt in Naruto's eyes from his teammates not accepting him.

"Sasuke, Sakura. Stop it. Sasuke, that sword is Naruto's, so don't try to steal it again. Clear? Sakura, the sword most likely has a self defense seal on it so only those allowed can wield it. Naruto made no action himself to hurt Sasuke. Now then, I'd like to talk with Naruto outside for a bit." Kakashi scolded before stepping outside the house.

Breakfast continued as normally as it could after an event like that. Kakashi led Naruto outside while Yukiko trailed behind them. After a good distance away from the house Kakashi stopped his student.

"Alright Naruto. I know you weren't telling the whole story to everyone, but I need to know what happened." demanded Kakashi.

Naruto sighed. He figured he would have to explain this to Kakashi and the Hokage later, but it didn't mean he wanted to do it.

"Okay Kakashi-sensei, I'll tell you what the Kyuubi told me and what happened afterwards." Naruto said waiting for the reaction to this bit of news before continuing.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the mentioning of the Kyuubi no Youko. Naruto was in touch with the demon inside him? This could be very bad.

"Ya, I met the Kyuubi. Guy is a real bastard, but he was the cause of all my changes. He used Haku's blood to help heal the hole in my chest which led to me getting a purified form of Haku's bloodline. Apparently using the chakra of the Kyuubi allows him much more control over my body versus the nonexistent control he has the rest of the time. I never want to use that bastard's chakra again. I know what he did to those thugs on the bridge yesterday." the last part Naruto whispered while looking down, the events playing again in his mind. A reassuring hand on his shoulder from Kakashi helped him continue, "After waking up from my meeting with the fox-bastard, I couldn't sleep. I thought since I had Haku's bloodline I should see if he had any notes on it wherever he and Zabuza were living. I tried a sense enhancing technique Kiba mentioned in class once and managed to find the place. Found his notes, these clothes, and Yukiko here. She was Haku's pet, even though she told me she wants to be a nin-fox. I was hoping to make that official when we get back to Konoha, Kami knows I need at least someone I can depend on to work with. I am not too sure I can ever fully trust Sasuke after this, and Sakura will just follow his lead." explained Naruto, still leaving out some information. He really didn't want to tell Kakashi how he had a scroll that Zabuza probably stole from Kirigakure.

"She told you?" asked Kakashi, hoping he heard his student correctly.

"Ya. I can understand what she says. Probably because of Kyuubi-bastard but whatever." the jinchuuriki said, showing his obvious dislike of the demon sealed inside him.

Nodding, Kakashi filed through all of this new information. It sounded so far fetched, but then again this was Konoha's Most Surprising Ninja he was dealing with here. He didn't see any lie in Naruto's words, but he was assuredly talking with the Hokage about this as soon as they got back. Hopefully Naruto didn't actually remember what happened on the bridge. That could easily traumatize anyone.

"Alright Naruto. We'll have a talk with the Hokage when we get back. I agree with your decision to not use the fox's chakra. Nobody had any idea what using it would do to you. I'm sorry about Sasuke's actions earlier. I will also be having a talk with him later about respecting the property of others. I'd ask you to give them a second chance, but I know you have problems with people who break your trust." Kakashi told his student before dismissing him. Kakashi offhandedly thought he definitely did not sign up for this. His team had to have the most difficult group to work with possible.

Naruto was glad that Kakashi was his sensei. Sure, he was absolutely terrible at teaching, but he was a pretty good guy once you got past his lateness and addiction to smut.

* * *

In the next week the bridge was finished due to newly motivated workers and a large amount of Kagebunshin labor from Naruto. Their job finished, Team 7 was ready to go back to Konoha. Naruto spent his free time practicing with Kubikiri Houchou, Suiton jutsu, and teamwork with Yukiko. The snow fox really didn't like her companion's teammates. Sakura and Sasuke were still really mad at their teammate but left him alone for the most part. Tazuna and his family watched the ninjas from Konoha who had changed so much for their little village.

"Well the bridge is done, but it needs a super name!" the elder bridge builder said to himself.

"How about the 'Great Naruto Bridge' Ojii-san?" Inari suggested to his grandfather.

"I like that name a lot Inari. I like that name a lot." muttered Tazuna, as Team 7 disappeared from his sight.

* * *

**Jutsu List!**

Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique) Creates a dense mist in an area limiting visibility.

* * *

**Author's Note: And thus ends the first chapter of Konoha's Arctic Fox. Hope you all enjoyed it! Next time, the return to Konoha.**


	2. Training and Meetings

**Author's Note: Here is the second chapter of Konoha's Arctic Fox. Thank you for the reviews so far. I'm quite surprised to get some favorites and alerts already! It makes me a happy writer :) I was able to get this chapter done as fast as I did since I began this story during my Spring Break. I'm about 1/3 of the way finished with the rough draft of chapter 3 right now.  
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**The romantic interest is introduced in this chapter. It is not a common pairing, but I think it will work well with how I want the story to go. I hope you all agree. Also, I have other plans for Tenten later in the story. The comment about her romantic interest is more humor than what will actually occur.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Konoha's Arctic Fox**

Chapter Two: _Training and Meetings_

* * *

The trip back to Konoha from their mission was rather tame compared to what Team 7 had dealt with in the last month. Without a civilian to escort they were able to travel much faster, but Sakura did have problems keeping the pace Kakashi set for very long. Sasuke spent most of the trip glaring at Naruto, with Sakura fawning over the last loyal Uchiha. They were even more angry at Naruto after they found out he was going to wear part of Haku's mask during missions. Kakashi had to keep his own team from fighting each other. Naruto spent the evenings working with Kubikiri Houchou and Yukiko, trying to spend as much time away from his teammates as possible. He rarely slept, the nightmares were too horrible. At the moment Naruto was taking a break until Yukiko led him away from camp to talk with him.

* * *

"Naruto-kun? It isn't my place but something has made me worried about you." Yukiko told Naruto, concern evident in her voice.

"What is it Yukiko-chan? You know you can tell me anything." Naruto said, wondering what Yukiko was worried about.

"I know you aren't sleeping. I can tell you left something out when you talked with Kakashi that bothered you." Yukiko said, surprising Naruto.

"I... it's just, I don't want to worry anyone. I thought I could deal with it myself, but it seems I can't. Every time I sleep I just see... what I did." whispered Naruto, hoping Yukiko would still stay with him after this.

"Tell me Naruto-kun, what happened?" Yukiko inquired, hoping she could help her companion.

"On... on the bridge, Kyuubi influenced my emotions. There were so many thugs there. I... oh Kami-sama, I killed so many of them. No, I slaughtered them. I... enjoyed it." Naruto explained, ready for Yukiko to say she hated him.

"Oh Naruto-kun, you poor thing. It isn't your fault. You were possessed by the blood lust of the Kyuubi. Do you... do you want me to stay by you when you sleep? It might help with your nightmares." Yukiko asked, now realizing how fragile the boy in front of her was at the moment.

"...thank you Yukiko-chan" Naruto whispered. He still blamed himself, he doubt he ever would not. Yukiko staying his friend meant so much to him though. She would stay by his side, even if he was a monster.

"I know it's hard Naruto-kun, but you will get through this. It just won't be on your own." Yukiko told the boy she was so worried about. She really wanted the best for her companion. The fox knew that her words would not be enough to truly help him. Probably the only thing that would make him realize it was not his fault would be the true love of another.

'I am so thankful I have Yukiko-chan. Sasuke and Sakura don't care about me, but Yukiko-chan truly cares. Before I met her, I never really noticed how many problems our team had. I was the idiot who couldn't form a strategy beforehand and only used mass Kagebunshin to make up for it. Sasuke only cares about himself and the rest of us could die for all he cared. Sakura only cares for Sasuke, and doesn't give a damn about me. It's kind of amazing we lived through that mission actually.' reflected Naruto.

The boy gave a resigned sigh towards his fate of having an almost impossible team to work with. He was pretty sure no matter how many teamwork drills Kakashi-sensei put Team 7 through it would not change anything. His trust in Sasuke was also irreparably shaken.

* * *

The next morning after some more traveling, they saw in the distance the massive gates that marked the entrance to Konoha. The group sped up at the sight, eager to get home. Two Chuunin guards were waiting for them at the gates.

"Halt. State your name and business in Konoha." one of the two guards asked of Team 7.

"Hatake Kakashi and Genin Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto returning from an escort mission." Kakashi told the guards whose eyes narrowed at the mention of Naruto.

"Alright. We just need to see your identification and you are free to enter." the other guard ordered.

Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke had no problems with their identification. Naruto however, did not look like he used to, and the guards didn't like the idea of letting that fox into Konoha.

"You are not Uzumaki Naruto, and what are you doing bringing _that_ into Konoha. Have you no respect?" demanded the first guard. He had hated the demon brat for what it did to his family. He thought the brat found another fox demon to help destroy Konoha.

Naruto expected something like this, but he was mad that they were so blind with hate to take it out on an innocent Yukiko.

"I am indeed Uzumaki Naruto. During the mission I activated a bloodline that changed me physically. Also I would appreciate it if you were not hostile towards Yukiko-chan." Naruto told the guard, trying to stay as calm as possible. Yukiko had been working on him keeping a level head in a hostile situation.

"Why you brat..." the Chuunin growled.

Kakashi chose that moment to step in and prevent Naruto from getting into any trouble.

"My student is correct. We will head to the Hokage immediately to give a report on our mission and update Naruto's identification. Also, you will find your hatred very misplaced on Yukiko. Do not make me report of this incident to the Hokage as well." Kakashi warned the two Chuunin. He would not put up with harassment towards one of his subordinates on his watch.

The guards let them in after that. The last thing they wanted was the Hokage to be mad at them. Team 7 traveled by hopping on the roofs of buildings to avoid any civilians for Naruto and Yukiko's sake. In a few minutes they were in the Hokage Tower. The Hokage was obviously expecting them as they were let right in to see the Sandaime Hokage.

* * *

If the Hokage was surprised at Naruto's new look he didn't show it.

"Welcome back Team 7. I assume your mission was... interesting?" the aged Hokage asked.

Kakashi stepped forward to give his mission report. He left most of the details out though, such as details about Naruto using the fox's chakra and the berserker state he entered afterwards. The Hokage dismissed Sakura and Sasuke, keeping Kakashi, Naruto, and Yukiko behind.

"Now then. What exactly happened on the bridge?" the Hokage asked again, expecting more answers this time.

Naruto explained his meeting with the fox, his new bloodline, obtaining Zabuza's sword, and meeting Yukiko. The Hokage was worried about the fox gaining temporary control of Naruto but his inspection of the seal proved that it was not damaged in any way.

"Very well then. Obviously these details are an S-class secret that should not be shared Kakashi. Naruto, I forbid you as Hokage from drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra. As for your friend Yukiko here, I will go ahead and register her as an animal companion similar to the dogs of the Inuzuka. I have a spare Konoha hitai-ate for her to wear if she wants to. Hopefully seeing she is a registered animal companion will help prevent any open hostility towards her. Come back tomorrow to update your registration. Also stop by the animal hospital near the Inuzuka compound today, Yukiko will need to have a medical exam before I can register her. Dismissed." the Hokage ordered, although he was very concerned for Naruto. He thought of the jinchuuriki like a grandson.

Naruto and Kakashi bowed and left. Naruto tied the new hitai-ate around Yukiko's neck and went off to complete his many tasks before tomorrow. First, he needed new clothes. He was still wearing the shredded remnants of his old clothes since he could not find any others that fit and his skills at repairing clothes went as far as just minor tears. He also needed to find someone to teach him how to use his new weapon. If he could find some books on seals that would be good too. He had Kubikiri Houchou in a storage scroll that Kakashi let him borrow but he would like to learn how to do his own seals. Then, a trip to the veterinarian for Yukiko-chan.

* * *

Hopping from roof to roof with Yukiko the two companions made their way to the shopping district. He motioned for Yukiko to stay up on the roof out of sight. The jinchuuriki felt bad leaving her there, but he did not want to be kicked out of the shop. Planning to take advantage of his new appearance, he covered up his whisker marks with some cloth he kept from the remains of his old clothes. Satisfied that no one could recognize him he jumped down and entered the shop. He was greeted by the owner, who would have thrown him out of the shop had he known who he was greeting.

"Hey there. I just returned from a mission and my clothes were pretty much destroyed. Could you show me where I could find the clothes my size?" Naruto asked of the shop keeper.

"Sure thing sir. Right this way!" the portly man said, glad to have a new customer.

The blue-haired boy browsed through the various clothes on the racks. He wanted a brand new look to match his new physical appearance. The first thing he picked out was several sleeveless fishnet undershirts. To go with those he found a dark blue vest with a white fur collar around the neck. The pockets would be useful to carry the scrolls he planned on learning to make. For pants he found some ANBU style pants that were the same color as the vest. Black shinobi sandals were picked for footwear, with several rolls of white martial arts tape for wrappings. The final item he found were two white weapon pouches to replace his old ones. Happy with his choices, he went to the counter and paid the man. Now he needed weapons.

* * *

Next door to the clothing store was a weapons shop that normally would only sell him blunt kunai at ridiculous prices. He quickly grabbed several sets of high quality kunai, shuriken, and senbon. His studies in anatomy and Haku's skill with senbon convinced the jinchuuriki that they could be very useful in disabling opponents with proper aim. All he needed now was practice. After paying normal prices for his new throwing weapons he returned to Yukiko to take his purchases back to his apartment. Hopefully it hadn't been destroyed while he was gone. Luckily it hadn't, receiving only some graffiti and a broken window.

Yukiko was disgusted with how Naruto was treated in his village. He was one of the nicest people she had ever met. Her companion treated her with respect and she could trust him to protect her with his life. She laid down for a nap while Naruto went to take a shower. The boy enjoyed his few moments of relaxation in the shower before drying himself off and changing into his new clothes.

* * *

Naruto looked at himself in the mirror and thought he looked like a true shinobi now. He had wrapped the tape around the shins of his blue ANBU pants, as well as over his stomach to hide the fox's seal. Over the tape he wore the fishnet undershirt, and blue vest. Attached to each thigh was one of his new weapon pouches, the left filled with senbon and the right containing kunai and shuriken. In one of the pockets on his vest was the scroll containing Kubikiri Houchou. His hitai-ate was tied loosely around his neck like Yukiko's. On his face was what remained of Haku's mask, his ice blue spiky bangs falling slightly forward from their weight. Satisfied with his new look, he and Yukiko sped off to try and find the girl who he hoped could teach him to use his sword.

Pushing chakra into his nose, he searched for the scent of steel, oil, and strawberries. Nobody else had a scent similar to his only friend from the orphanage. He picked up her scent and found her and her team training. The demon container was rather disturbed by the two ninja wearing green spandex outfits. The boy in white seemed to notice his arrival and turned to face him and Yukiko.

"Who is there? Show yourselves!" the boy with white eyes called out. Naruto noticed he had similar eyes to the weird shy girl in his class. He wondered if they were related.

Naruto and Yukiko jumped down from the tree they were hiding in and walked over to the group training.

"Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt but I was looking for Tenten. I need to talk to her about something." the jinchuuriki told to the group to explain his presence.

The Genin's sensei who Naruto had instantly dubbed Super Fuzzy Eyebrows to match the mini version of him, Fuzzy Eyebrows, walked up to speak with Naruto.

"YOSH! YOU MAY SPEAK TO MY MOST YOUTHFUL STUDENT TENTEN! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH MUST BURN BRIGHTLY WITHIN YOU IF YOU KNOW ONE OF MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!" shouted the spandex clad adult, confusing Naruto and Yukiko greatly. They translated his speech to 'Hello. Feel free to speak to Tenten. A friend of hers is a friend of mine.'

After recovering from the deafening noise, the two companions walked over to greet Tenten.

"Hey Ten-chan. Miss me?" the demon container asked his old acquaintance.

"Who the hell are you?! Only one person can call me that and you aren't him!" asked Tenten, two kunai quickly appearing into her hands. They would leave her hands and make their way into this guy in front of her if she didn't like his answer.

"Put the kunai down Ten-chan. It's me, Naruto. I kinda activated a bloodline on my last mission and it made me look a bit different." explained Naruto, trying to calm Tenten down. He remembered Tenten's fiery temper.

"Really? Prove it." the weapons mistress demanded.

Naruto gave her his fox grin and walked over to her.

"Back in the orphanage I caught you kissing a picture of Tsunade-sama." he whispered into her ear.

Tenten blushed a deep red, which no one who had worked with Tenten knew was possible with her. Whatever this Naruto guy said to her must have been extremely embarrassing.

"O-okay it's you. What do you want Naruto-kun?" Tenten inquired, amazed Naruto remembered that incident. Was it really her fault she really _really_ liked her idol?

"Well... uh... I was wondering if you could teach me how to use a sword?" the boy asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Since when did you have interest in kenjutsu? Anyways, let me see this sword of yours and I will decide if I want to teach you or not. By the way, what's with the fox?" the bun-haired girl told Naruto. She would have taught him anyway, but she was curious.

Grinning, Naruto pulled out the scroll in his vest and unsealed Kubikiri Houchou. Tenten's eyes grew extremely wide and her jaw dropped.

"Is... Is that what I t-think it is? W-where did you get th-that?!" the weapon fanatic stammered.

"This is Kubikiri Houchou. In the mission where I activated my bloodline we fought with Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. He died in the final fight and his dying wish was for me to use his sword. After that I met Yukiko-chan here, she liked me enough to come back to Konoha with me as my companion." explained the blue-haired boy.

"Oh Kami-sama! I can't believe I'm standing next to the zanbato of _the_ Momochi Zabuza! I can't believe he gave it to you. That settles it though, I am teaching you. I can't let you embarrass swordsmen everywhere by not knowing how to use _the_ Kubikiri Houchou." shouted Tenten. Only she could get that excited about a sword.

"Thanks so much Ten-chan! I'll work as hard as I can. I know you are a slave driver." Naruto chuckled, remembering when she taught him how to throw kunai. He was lucky he healed fast.

Tenten playfully bopped him on the head, although she had to jump to do so with Naruto's new height. The weapon mistress missed Naruto's antics from before he was kicked out of the orphanage and missed him as well. They didn't talk much after he left the orphanage, but before that they were close.

"Alright then Naruto-kun. I'll work with you every morning from 7:00 to 9:00 barring I am out on a mission. Normally that's when Gai-sensei and Lee do their crazy morning routine that Neji and I skip." Tenten told her old friend. She was happy she now had a legitimate excuse to miss what Gai and Lee called 'extra training'.

Naruto sealed his sword and gave Tenten a quick hug before he and his fox companion left Team Gai to go to the library. After he left Tenten was grilled by her team about who the boy was and how she knew him. Naruto had no problems at the library since the librarian did not recognize him and was actually rather intimidated by his appearance. In the Genin section of the library he found some scrolls on chakra control exercises, seals, and senbon. After checking out the scrolls and dropping them off at his apartment, he and Yukiko arrived at their last stop for the day, the hospital near the Inuzuka compound.

* * *

The Inuzuka compound was not elegant and gaudy like the Hyuuga or Uchiha compounds, instead it was a rather humble group of moderately sized homes and large areas for the dogs the family loved so much. The smell of dog assaulted Naruto and Yukiko's noses before they even reached the compound. The animal hospital was right next door to the compound, for the convenience of the hospital's number one group of patients.

The blue-haired jinchuuriki entered the hospital to see a teenage girl sitting at the front desk. She was wearing what looked like a normal medic-nin robe with a high color. Her brown hair was done up in a ponytail, with a few bangs falling over her face. Red fang tattoos below her eyes marked her as an Inuzuka. He was glad that she was an Inuzuka, she would understand more about Yukiko and his relationship better than anyone else.

* * *

Inuzuka Hana was rather bored working her shift at the animal hospital. She loved being a veterinarian, but at the moment she had no patients. Kami-sama seemed to answer her prayers in the form of a tall, blue-haired shinobi walking in the front door with what looked like... a Snow Fox?

"Umm... hello?" the mysterious shinobi said, removing her from her musings.

"Wha..? Oh! Hello! My name is Inuzuka Hana, what can I help you with?" she introduced herself, mad she was being rude already.

"According to Hokage-ojiji, Yukiko-chan here needs to have a check up before she can be registered as my companion." the man told her. Now she was interested.

"Companion?" she asked.

"Ya, I met Yukiko-chan here while out on a mission. She told me that she wanted to be a nin-fox, and asked to be my companion. You know, like your family has dog companions." he said, like it was the most normal thing in the world to be able to understand animals. Well to the Inuzuka clan he supposed it was.

"She told you? You can understand her?" Hana asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yup. She can be pretty chatty when it is just me around, and opinionated. She hates my teammates." he said, rubbing the back of his head and showing a smile that looked like it belonged more on his companion than him.

"This is exciting! I've never met someone other than an Inuzuka who has an animal companion. So she needs a checkup? Do you or her know when she last had her shots?" the Inuzuka heiress asked. She was probably being a little too energetic, but this guy was just full of surprises.

A few yips later and the man answered for the fox, "It seems since her last owner was always on the move in secluded areas he never took her to get a checkup. Also she hates needles, something about being traumatized by when her last owner started learning to use senbon." At this the fox glared at him.

She giggled a bit before responding, "Alright then. Follow me and we will get her all set." the veterinarian said, motioning for the two to follow.

The two ninja and the fox walked through a few hallways before entering an examination room.

"I suppose we should start with your vaccinations. I'm not going to lie Yukiko, this will probably hurt." After she said this the shinobi immediately put his hand in front of Yukiko.

"If you want Yukiko-chan, you can bite down on my hand. Since you hate shots, this way you can get back at me for making you get them! You know how fast I heal so don't worry about me." he offered to his companion.

Hana had never met someone who treated their companion so well. This guy was offering to let a fox bite on his hand! They must have an extremely strong bond, but he said they met on a mission. How long had they known each other?

"That is really nice of you... I just realized I never got your name! I'm sorry. By the way, how long have you two known each other? You seem really close." she asked, not really sure why she kept messing up around him. She had been working at the hospital for over a year now. Things should be routine.

"Oh sorry! I am Uzumaki Naruto. Yukiko-chan and I met about two weeks ago, but she is probably the only real friend I have..." the man said, becoming quiet at the end, so only Yukiko heard, as the Inuzuka heiress was currently busy focusing on what he said before that.

'Two weeks? TWO WEEKS?!' She thought, absolutely stunned.

This was something special, for a bond like that to form in such a ridiculously short amount of time. Naruto just kept surprising her more and more. Naruto... that name sounded familiar. Then it hit her. Naruto was the orphan kid in her little brother Kiba's class at the Academy. Her little brother was always talking about how the orphan prankster Naruto was the dead last of his class, despite Kiba's grades not exactly being something inspiring. This Naruto and Kiba's Naruto seemed like polar opposites. She then realized she was just staring at him.

"Sorry! I guess I was just surprised about how close you are when you haven't known each other long at all. I'll get started then." Hana said, grabbing some syringes to give Yukiko her shots.

Several whimpers and bitten hands later, the examination was finished.

"All done! Yukiko is perfectly healthy. I'll send her paperwork to the Hokage's office when I get off my shift. Come again!" she said bowing.

"Thanks so much Hana-san! Come on Yukiko-chan, lets go catch you a rabbit before we head home." Yukiko yipped in approval, while Inuzuka Hana watched as one of the most interesting men she had ever met leave her sight.

* * *

The next day after training with Tenten, Naruto and Yukiko arrived at the Hokage Tower to update their registration. Afterwards the two companions designed a training schedule for the both of them. He would meet Tenten at 7:00 in the morning to train with her for two hours. After that he would study seals, anatomy, and practice senbon throwing at Team 7's training ground waiting for Kakashi-sensei to arrive. They would complete the D-rank mission for the day before eating lunch and then taijutsu and teamwork training with Yukiko for three hours. Following that would be two hours of chakra control training, and then dinner. After dinner Naruto would learn and practice jutsu from Zabuza's scroll and Haku's bloodline scroll. Naruto was only able to maintain this schedule thanks to his massive stamina.

* * *

Naruto was rather pleased with how his training was going. He was progressing extremely fast and proved great aptitude with ninjutsu. After three months he was progressing very well in the kenjutsu style Tenten was teaching him. The style was the Nadare style and was based on using the massive weight of Kubikiri Houchou to deal fast, hard to block strikes. His chakra control had improved to water walking levels that he could maintain for the full two hours. With senbon he could pierce pressure points and targets to incapacitate an opponent quickly. Yukiko and the jinchuuriki worked together better than ever. Naruto had learned Suiton: Suijinheki, Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu, Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu, Hyoton: Sensatsu Suishou, and Hyoton: Makyou Hyou Shou adequately, but could only use Suiton: Suijinheki and Hyoton: Sensatsu Suishou repeatedly. He was now working on using the jutsu with one handed hand seals as well as learning Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu, plus mastering the jutsu he had already learned. It was hard to efficiently use his jutsu since the fox made his chakra control so bad, but it was slowly getting better. He didn't really do anything else other than eat, sleep, and train.

The blue-haired jinchuuriki was currently in his apartment working on an idea for a new jutsu involving his bloodline with Yukiko.

"Hmm... My short range potential is rather low except for my sword, any ideas Yuki-chan?" he asked, hoping his companion could come up with something better than he could.

"Well, you could make ice claws to increase your damage with taijutsu." Yukiko suggested, not realizing what bringing claws up would do.

Naruto froze for a moment. The last time he had claws... No, he couldn't dwell on that any more. Those were claws guided by Kyuubi. This would be totally different, and it was actually a good idea.

Before Yukiko would worry about him he spoke up, "Maybe I could make some claws out of ice. I don't feel cold or receive effects of low temperatures anymore so I wouldn't have to worry about frostbite, but my enemies would be hurt by both the claws and the cold. Now to just be able to create the claws with raw elemental manipulation before finding the proper hand signs to mold the chakra. Great idea Yuki-chan!"

While learning to use one handed hand seals Naruto learned the inner workings of hand seals. Hand seals were shortcuts to manipulating chakra in a specific manner. If he could create a new jutsu using manual manipulation he could find what hand seals molded chakra in the same pattern to easily activate the jutsu in the future. Satisfied with his plans for the new jutsu, Naruto gathered the materials to finally replace the scroll containing Kubikiri Houchou.

Naruto's study in seals had advanced quickly as well and was ready to attempt his most advanced project yet, a blood activated storage seal on his left wrist. He cut his wrist with a kunai to get a decent amount of blood into a bowl before the fox closed the wound for him. Ink was mixed in and the aspiring seal maker painted the kanji ring that made up a storage seal onto his wrist. In the middle of the ring he put the kanji for 'Sword'. Once he double-checked his work to make sure everything was perfect, he pushed chakra into the seal to permanently bond it to his skin. Now he just had to test his work. Naruto wiped some blood on both the seal and Kubikiri Houchou before pushing chakra into the seal. With a puff of smoke Kubikiri Houchou disappeared. Pleased with himself, Naruto went to bed smiling.

* * *

Over the next few weeks Naruto's progress with the jutsu he was inventing was very good. After three weeks he was able to create slightly curved ice claws that could change in length by putting or taking out some chakra flowing through them. The ice wielder found them extremely sharp and strong enough to not break easily. After a few days of studying how the chakra molded when he made the claws, he had found the proper series of hand seals to activate the jutsu. Uzumaki Naruto's first original jutsu, Hyoton: Tsurara Tsume was finished.

* * *

At Yukiko's insistence Naruto began creating a new fighting style to utilize his claws. Always proud of his unpredictability he worked on a fighting style that centered on quick claw swipes before backing away. He depended on dodging more than blocking. Thanks to his kenjutsu training with Tenten his speed had improved enough to make the style viable. Now when Naruto and Yukiko worked together it was like two vicious animals were mauling their enemy. Yukiko named it the Moujuutsume style of fighting.

Naruto and Yukiko's routine continued on strong until one fateful meeting with Kakashi-sensei.

* * *

"Yo. Sorry I'm late but I was getting your applications to the Chuunin Exams. Here ya go. If you wish to participate go to Room 301 in the Academy this Friday at 8:00. No one is forcing you to participate but I believe all of you can handle this. I'll see you at the exams!" the lazy Jounin sensei told his students, eager to get back to reading his smut.

After handing the three Genin their applications Kakashi vanished using Shunshin. Naruto and Sasuke were both excited to get to test their skills against the other Genin, but Sakura was rather unsure of herself, but would attend anyway to impress Sasuke-kun. Naruto and Yukiko left to train more while Sakura bothered Sasuke for a date. While heading to his favorite training ground Naruto heard a kid struggling in the grip of a boy wearing a cat-like suit, kabuki makeup, a Suna hitai-ate, and a strange object wrapped in bandages on his back. In a tree near him was a kunoichi also from Suna who was yelling at him to put the boy down. Getting closer Naruto noticed the boy was Konohamaru. Naruto had met the Hokage's grandson a few weeks ago after a mission briefing. The kid insisted on beating Naruto but he mostly just annoyed him. The kid now saw Naruto as a rival for the title of Hokage. Not wanting the kid to get hurt, he interrupted before things got to serious.

"Hey Suna nin, you might want to put the Hokage's grandson down before you inadvertently cause a war between Konoha and Suna. Also the guy in the tree behind you who smells of sand and raccoon doesn't seem to happy with you." said Naruto, his eyes looking at the location of the hidden ninja.

Both Suna ninja turned to see their scary brother staring at the ninja from Konoha.

"Kankuro, you are an embarrassment to Suna. Put the boy down before I kill you. You, Konoha nin. What is your name?" the Suna ninja with a severe lack of sleep said to the Konoha ninja in front of him. His mother kept telling him to get the blood of this boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto. And you are?" Naruto asked curious who this guy was. He was very good at staying hidden. The boy almost didn't notice him except for his scent.

"Subaku no Gaara. I look forward to see you in the exams. Mother finds you... interesting." Gaara said with his ever present monotone. His siblings were afraid for this Konoha ninja's life now. Whoever Gaara's 'mother' thought was interesting never lived very long.

Kankuro released Konohamaru and the young aspiring ninja ran to safety behind Naruto. The Suna nin left and Naruto found Konohamaru's sensei to make sure he was being watched. With that done, he thought about the encounter with the Suna nin. The one called Gaara troubled him. His chakra seemed demonic, like the Kyuubi's. Could this boy have a demon sealed inside of him too? If he did, he didn't seem stable. It would be very bad if he had the power of a demon as unstable as the boy seemed. He would have to tell the Hokage about this.

* * *

Finally the day of the exams had arrived. Naruto, Yukiko, Sasuke, and Sakura had met up outside the Academy at 7:30. Team 7 entered the Academy and were at the second floor when they saw a large group of Genin outside of Room 301 being bullied by two older Genin in front of the door. Naruto saw Tenten in the group and went over to say hi.

"Oi, Ten-chan! Ready for the exams?" asked the energetic ice wielder, waving to his friend and part-time sensei.

"Oh hey Naruto-kun, hey Yukiko-chan. I'm surprised to see you here. Gai-sensei made us wait a year before entering the exams. Good luck!" Tenten said, smiling at the boy. He really was a good student, and was hoping to see him use his sword in a real battle.

"You too Ten-chan. We're gonna head upstairs since this is obviously a genjutsu. Nice idea to hide your abilities by the way." whispered Naruto to the girl. He didn't want others to know so there wouldn't be as much competition.

Naruto began moving back to his team to lead them upstairs but Sasuke decided to let his arrogance take control over his mouth again.

"Show us room 301! This is obviously a genjutsu." the Uchiha demanded with a smirk on his face. He wanted everyone to see the Uchiha clan was above a stupid genjutsu.

Naruto slapped his forehead at Sasuke's stupidity. The genjutsu dropped and the two bullies moved to attack Sasuke before being stopped by Rock Lee, who fell in love with Sakura at first sight.

"HELLO MY BEAUTIFUL YOUTHFUL FLOWER! MY NAME IS ROCK LEE AND I WILL PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE!" Rock Lee yelled, hoping this girl would love him back. How could she not?

"Ewww. You're weird. I love Sasuke-kun!" Sakura told the boy with the bowl cut, trying to hug her Sasuke-kun to show how in love they were, but he moved out of the way.

"YOSH! SASUKE YOU ARE A GENIUS AND I WISH TO FIGHT AGAINST YOU TO SHOW WHAT MY FLAMES OF YOUTH CAN DO!" the mini-Gai yelled out.

Tenten and Naruto both sighed at this. Lee and Gai were okay once you got used to them, but they never were friendly to your ears. Sasuke and Lee went upstairs for a quick match but were stopped by Gai-sensei's turtle summon. Team 7 finally made it to room 301 and Kakashi appeared in front of them.

"Hey Team 7. Glad you all could make it. If one of you was missing I would have had to not let you enter. Genin work in groups of three, and you need to take this exam in a group of three." the lazy Jounin explained.

Inside the room Sasuke was pounced on by Sakura's co-president of the Sasuke fan club, Yamanaka Ino. The rest of the Rookie 9 were at the exam as well. However, none of them had seen Naruto since they graduated, so they could not find him with Sasuke and Sakura.

Kiba was never one to not speak his mind and just blurted his curiosity out, "Hey, where is that blond idiot Naruto. I wanted to beat him up in the exam."

Naruto decided to have some fun, "Behind you."

The Rookie 9 slowly turned to the source of the voice to see the new and improved Naruto. No one could believe the tall intimidating ninja in front of them could be the same idiot they went to the Academy with. The white fox sitting next to him wearing a Konoha hitai-ate around her neck also confused them. Hinata fainted at the sight of Naruto, a large blush on her face. Before they could say anything a silver-haired Genin wearing glasses interrupted them.

"Hey you rookies. You might want to settle down. The guys here are not happy with you." the older Genin said while pushing up his glasses.

The Rookie 9 looked around to see that they indeed were being stared at by every Genin in the room. Kiba wanted to know who the hell this new guy was.

"Who the hell are you?" Kiba barked out, never really translating his words as they went from brain to mouth.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto. This will be my seventh time to take the exams. They are very difficult. How about I help you out? These here are my nin-info cards. By pushing chakra into them I can show you info on any ninja in the exams. Is there anyone you would like to see?" the mysterious Genin asked. Yukiko was wary of him. This guy smelled of snakes, and she didn't like snakes.

Sasuke spoke up first, shocking most of the group who were not used to so many words from the brooding ninja.

"Rock Lee and Uzumaki Naruto." the Uchiha asked. Most were curious to what the card said about Naruto.

"Oh you know their names. That makes it easy. I'll start with Rock Lee. Rock Lee: Genin. 54 D-rank missions, and 7 C-rank. Skills are high in taijutsu with no skill at all in ninjutsu and genjutsu. Next is Uzumaki Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto: Genin. 25 D-rank missions, 1 C-rank mission, and 1 A-rank. An A rank as a Genin? Impressive. He has a bloodline he activated while on a mission. Unknown Abilities. Also unknown are skills in taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. Has a nin-fox partner named Yukiko." the man in glasses read off the cards. Before the Rookie 9 could assault Naruto with questions the object of their curiosity spoke up.

"Subaku no Gaara." the jinchuuriki asked the silver-haired Genin. He wanted to see if maybe his suspicions about Gaara being a jinchuuriki as well could be confirmed, this Kabuto had way to much information to be a Genin.

"Hmm let me see. Subaku no Gaara: Genin. 14 D-rank missions, 8 C-rank, and 1 B-rank. Skills unknown but it says here he has come back from every mission unharmed." read Kabuto. He didn't really give Naruto the information he wanted but it did make him eager to find out for himself. The information this Genin had on him also potentially indicated that he was a spy, since he never told anyone about the C-rank mission pay he received for stopping Mizuki. Only the Hokage, Iruka, and himself knew about it.

"I see. I'll be looking forward to facing him in battle. I always enjoy a good challenge" the blue-haired Genin told the Rookie 9 before glancing up at Gaara, who was giving Naruto a bloodthirsty look.

The group was staring at Naruto now. There was no way this was the Naruto they knew. They were now very curious about what this new Naruto could do. They may actually have to be careful if they encounter him in the exam. Especially if he had a bloodline.

After recovering from their shock Kabuto explained how the counties only sent the best of the best, but not to worry about Oto since it was a new Hidden Village and therefore weak. The three Oto nin in the exam did not like that and attacked Kabuto. They missed, but Kabuto vomited after the attack, his glasses cracked. Before they could attack again a tall man in a black trench coat burst into the room.

"Alright maggots! Let's start the first exam! There will be no attacking during this portion of the exam or you and your team will be disqualified. Got it?!" the Tokubetsu Jounin proctor yelled at his newest victims.

* * *

**Jutsu List**

Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall) - Wall made of water defends user from attacks

Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique) - Creates a massive blast of water to attack the enemy

Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Prison Technique) - Creates a spherical prison of water to trap an enemy. The user must have one hand in contact with the sphere of water to keep the technique active.

Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique) - Creates a dragon made of water to attack the enemy. Can be controlled with chakra.

Hyoton: Sensatsu Suishou (Ice Release: One Thousand Needles of Death) - Creates one thousand needles made of ice that fly toward the target.

Hyoton: Makyou Hyou Shou (Ice Release: Demonic Ice Mirrors) - Creates mirror constructs made of ice the user can step into. The mirrors allow travel at a much faster rate than normal, and are difficult to destroy.

Hyoton: Tsurara Tsume (Ice Release: Icicle Claws) - Creates sharp claws formed of chakra enhanced ice around the fingers of the user. The claws are razor sharp and are cold enough to damage on contact.

Taijutsu: Moujuutsume (Wild Animal Claw) - Fighting style oriented on quick vicious strikes using clawed hands before dodging out of range and moving quickly around the opponent.

Kenjutsu Style: Nadare (Avalanche) - Sword style for a large blade to increase speed and force of swings using momentum built up from fast downward strikes.

* * *

**Author Note: I am not 100 percent happy with how this chapter turned out, but I wasn't exactly sure what else I could do with it. I may come back to this chapter later, but for now I want to focus more on getting Chapter 3 out. Next time on Konoha's Arctic Fox, the Chuunin Exams begin!**


	3. Tests, and Horrors in the Forest

**Author's Note: Hey again. I'm trying to put this chapters out as fast as I can but still give quality stuff. I had plenty of free time to write the first few chapters but the chapters now will probably come out slower, now that vacation is over. I'm amazed by the amount of favorites, alerts, and reviews so far. It is always nice to see. **

**I'll go ahead and answer a few questions.**

**Q: Will Naruto get a summoning contract?**

**A: At the moment I don't plan on it. I would like to continue the companion relationship between Naruto and Yukiko and I feel that summons would defeat the purpose of their relationship.**

**Q: Naru/Ten/Hana?**

**A: While Harems are fun and all, I don't really want to write one in this story. Also I want Naruto to keep seeing Tenten as a sister figure. Though he will have quite a few sisters he is very protective of :D The Hana romance will pick up later, I just wanted to introduce her last chapter.**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Warning: This chapter contains attempted rape.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Konoha's Arctic Fox**

Chapter Three: _Tests, and Horrors in the Forest_

* * *

The tall man in the black trench coat looked around the room, seeing what fresh meat was thrown to him this time. So far he wasn't impressed.

Coughing once to get everyone's attention he began, "My name is Morino Ibiki and I will be your proctor for the first exam of the Chuunin Selection Exam. While you are under my watch you will follow my rules and there will be no questions. Understood?"

A few Genin nodded nervously before Ibiki continued, "Alright then. The first portion of the test will consist of a written exam containing ten questions. This part of the exam will last one hour. You will have 45 minutes to answer the first nine questions and I will give the last question after that. Everyone pick up a test from the Chuunin next to me and sit in the seat with the number on the test. Move it!"

The Genin assembled hurried to the front of the room, forming a line to pick up their test. Some of them could be heard mumbling about it being a written test. Sasuke and Sakura were smirking, they were smart enough to pass a written test. Their idiot of a teammate however didn't stand a chance.

* * *

The Jounin Lounge was a place for those of Jounin rank to gather and relax and get away from the harsh life of a ninja. Currently the Jounin-sensei's of the Rookie 9 and Gai were sitting talking about the chances of their teams to reach Chuunin.

Kakashi was lazily reading his book while talking about the first part of the test, "This first exam will be interesting, since they have Morino Ibiki running it."

Yuuhi Kurenai was a rather fresh Jounin, and had not met everyone yet, so she didn't know who that was, "Morino Ibiki? Who is that?"

Sarutobi Asuma had quite the crush on Kurenai and took this as a chance to impress her, "Morino Ibiki is the head of ANBU's Torture and Interrogation Unit. He has made quite a reputation for himself as being a master of psychological tactics. He will make the test interesting that is for sure."

"Do you think any of your Genin will be able to pass his test?" Kurenai asked, worried now she had signed up her students too soon. She had been pressured quite a bit by the council to put her team in though, since it consisted of three clan heirs.

"YOSH! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH IN MY TEAM BURN BRIGHTLY! I AM SURE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS!" Gai shouted, with his usual gusto.

Kakashi looked up from his book, "Huh? You say something?"

"DAMN YOU AND YOUR HIP ATTITUDE MY ETERNAL RIVAL! IF MY STUDENTS DO NOT PASS THIS PART OF THE EXAM I WILL RUN 500 LAPS AROUND KONOHA. IF I CAN NOT DO THAT I WILL RUN UP AND DOWN THE HOKAGE MONUMENT ON MY HANDS 100 TIMES!" Gai told the room, not that they really cared. Gai was a prime example of how people changed after experiencing the harsh life of a ninja for so long. You became... weird.

After that excitement, Asuma continued the conversation, "Anyway... Shikamaru is a genius, so I am sure he will figure something out and then help Chouji. As for Ino, she has her clan's techniques to help her out. How about you Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked up from his smut for a moment to acknowledge he heard the question before looking back down. After a moment he answered, "Honestly, I'm not sure. Sakura and Sasuke will be fine, they were Kunoichi and Rookie of the Year. As for Naruto... I have honestly no idea."

The group was confused. "What do you mean you have no idea? Wasn't Naruto practically a complete failure at the Academy?" Kurenai asked.

"After our mission to the Wave... Naruto changed completely. While waiting for me to show up to team meetings I would catch him studying. According to the Hokage all Naruto has done for the past five months is eat twice a day, study, and train. I couldn't find out where he trained so I have no idea what his capabilities are. I think we will find his performance in this exam to be very interesting though." the lazy Jounin told his comrades.

The room went silent as they contemplated what Kakashi had told them. They all agreed that they would be keeping an eye on one Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Back in the exam room, all of the tests had been passed out and everyone was waiting for the rules for the test to be told.

Seeing he had the room's attention, Ibiki began, "This exam will be a deduction based exam. Everyone will start with ten points. For every question you answer wrong you will lose one point. There are Chuunin stationed throughout the room to observe you. If any of them catch you cheating you will lose two points. If one person in a team fails, the whole team fails."

Murmurs started filling the room while Sasuke and Sakura gave death glares to their third teammate. Both ready to kill him if they ruined this chance for Sasuke to become a Chuunin, and Sakura to impress her love. Naruto was able to feel some weak killing intent at the back of his head but ignored it. He was used to it after all, being the pariah of Konoha.

"Silence!" Ibiki roared, "Now then, show us that you are true shinobi. Begin!"

The first exam of the Chuunin Selection Exams had begun.

* * *

As soon as the test began Naruto began to think about what the proctor had told him, 'Hmm... It almost seems like he wants us to cheat. That must have been what 'show us you are true shinobi' meant. It seems there are a few people besides Sakura who are answering the questions very quickly. They must be plants for us to cheat off of. Now I just need to find a way to get those answers. Yukiko is too large to get the answers unnoticed. It looks like I'll be using my bloodline.'

Luckily one of the plants was sitting right in front of him. The blue-haired Genin placed a hand into one of the pockets of his pants and began forming a series of one-handed hand seals to use _Hyoton: Makyou Hyou Shou_. With his other hand he had opened a water bottle in his vest to be the source of water for this mirror he formed above him, blocked from sight by a sudden drop in the ceiling. Thankfully he didn't need much water, since his purified bloodline made his water and ice techniques incredibly efficient with enough practice. He could also convert his chakra into the ice or water needed, but even for Naruto's massive chakra stores it was draining.

Looking around it seemed his friend from the orphanage had a similar idea. He saw Tenten manipulating a set of mirrors to get herself and Rock Lee the answers. Focusing back on his own task, Naruto had Yukiko use her better eyesight to quietly read him the answers off of the plant's test. After a few minutes of copying he dispelled his ice mirror, and set his head down for a nap. Yukiko curled up by his feet and joined him in a quick rest as people around him were eliminated.

* * *

Naruto and Yukiko woke up to Ibiki's yelling, "Okay everyone! It's time now for the final question of the test. This is a special question which has its own set of rules. First of all, you will have a choice of whether or not to take the question. If you do not take the question, your team will fail the test. If you do take the question and answer incorrectly, you will remain Genin forever."

At this the girl Naruto remembered as Temari spoke out, "You can't do that! Other people have taken the test before."

"Well they didn't have me running the exam. Tough luck." Ibiki answered. A few teams quit after this. Naruto noticed his own teammate was starting to raise her hand to give up. He himself didn't think Sakura was ready for this, but he couldn't let her make the whole team fail. The jinchuuriki knew he had to intervene. This came in the form of him loudly slamming his fist on his desk. Yukiko shook her head at her companion's energy.

"That's crap and you know it! Give us the question, I'll take the question even if I have to remain a Genin forever. I'll just be the first to go from Genin to Hokage!" he shouted, effectively raising the confidence of every Genin in the room.

Ibiki was pretty impressed with this Uzumaki kid. He was one of the few brats who he couldn't entirely tell how they cheated. He knew the brat used a bit of chakra at the start and opened a water bottle, but that was it. The brat could also bring up the spirits of an entire room. A good trait to have. Seeing that he probably couldn't intimidate anyone else into quitting he gave his final call.

"Anyone else wish to quit? Okay then. All of you in this room... pass." Ibiki waited a few moments to let it sink in.

"What?! What do you mean pass? What was the tenth question?" Temari questioned.

"Simple. You. Pass. You could say the tenth question of the exam was whether to take the question or not. The first part of the exam was to test your information gathering skills. If we could easily tell you cheated we failed you. As for the last question, Chuunin are often put into life or death situations. The final question was just a way to see you would be able to handle doing so." Ibiki explained. He was going to continue before he felt a familiar chakra signature.

'Oh dear, this will be exciting' he thought.

Suddenly, a black ball crashed through the window of the room before exploding, sticking a banner to the chalkboard with kunai reading 'MITARASHI ANKO KONOHA'S SEXIEST KUNOICHI AND PROCTOR OF THE SECOND EXAM'. Said purple-haired, eccentric kunoichi appeared in the smoke.

"Alright brats! I'm the proctor for the second exam! Wait, Ibiki you let 26 teams pass? You must be going soft in your old age." she asked her superior at her job in the Torture and Interrogation unit. Looking around the room she noticed a certain brat with ice blue hair.

"You! Hey brat." she called out, looking directly at Naruto.

"Uh... Hey Anko. What a surprise." he said nervously. Honestly he found Anko fun to be around, but she could be damn intimidating sometimes.

"Umm, Anko. Check out the mood of the room. You are early." Ibiki scolded.

"It doesn't matter! Meet me at Training Ground 44 at 9:00 in the morning tomorrow. Don't be late or you fail!" and having said her piece, Mitarashi Anko left out the window from whence she came.

Most were too confused to really follow what had just happened, or were gawking at Anko's lack of clothing. A tan trench coat, miniskirt, and fishnet bodysuit were all that separated Mitarashi Anko from the elements. However, they did hear their instructions for the next day and filed out of the classroom. Naruto immediately left for his apartment to gather supplies for the next part of the test. He knew Training Ground 44 all too well. It was his favorite training ground, and where he met his crazy friend Anko. Naruto thought back to when he first found Training Ground 44.

* * *

"_Ugh. Yukiko-chan. We have looked everywhere for a place to train away from everyone. Everything is too damn open." Naruto groaned. He and Yukiko had been searching for a spot to train for hours._

"_I know Naruto-kun... Hey! What is that over there? The place with the really high fences?" the white fox asked._

"_I'm not sure Yukiko-chan. Let's go look!" he told his companion, picking up speed._

"_Training Ground 44... this is perfect!" he said, looking at the sign attached to the towering gate._

_Naruto grabbed Yukiko who let out a surprised yelp, and jumped over the fence with the help of some chakra in his legs. Looking around, the training ground appeared to be a massive forest with assorted streams, and trees everywhere. This place would be perfect for what he needed. The two companions wandered for a bit trying to find a nice clearing to begin their training._

_Immediately after finding a clearing, Naruto felt a kunai pressing against his neck._

"_Brat. What are you doing here? Who the fuck are you?" he heard a cold female voice ask him. Yukiko was growling at the woman, fangs barred. She smelled of snakes, which put her on guard._

"_I'm here to train obviously. I don't like being around the villagers much and I didn't want people spying on my training. My friends call me Naruto, but to most of the village I suppose I am the 'Kyuubi Brat'. My foxy companion here is Yukiko. Could you let me go please?" the jinchuuriki said calmly. No need to make the lady with a kunai at his throat angry, but he couldn't help being a smart ass sometimes._

_The woman removed her kunai from his throat and hopped out in front of him, "So you're the 'Kyuubi Brat' eh? Mitarashi Anko, Konoha's 'Snake Bitch'! Damn idiot villagers. So they give you a hard time too huh? We'll show 'em! Tell ya what kid, I think I can like you. Normally I don't like others in this place, but make yourself at home here. Just don't get your ass killed! I'm gonna go have fun in another spot. Later brat!"_

_After she left, Yukiko looked up at her companion confused, "Naruto-kun. What just happened?"_

"_I am not really sure Yukiko-chan... But I think it means we can stay. Wonder why the villagers don't like her either though." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Filing the question to ask her if they encountered each other again, Yukiko and Naruto began their training._

* * *

'Anko is... interesting. Can't say she makes things dull though. Shame the villagers blame her for what her sensei did.' the demon container thought to himself. After their first encounter, she would meet with him while he was out there if she didn't have a mission. Once they grew more comfortable around each other they told their respective stories. Anko was kind of an older sister to him now, and fellow pariah. A crazy sister with a slight blood fetish, obsession with dango, and no sense of modesty, but a sister nonetheless.

Naruto and Yukiko made their exit from the examination room using the opening made from Anko's entrance. If the next part of the mission was in Training Ground 44, then it would most likely be a several day trip. Scolding himself for not bringing enough supplies with him for this part of the test, the two companions returned to the apartment to stock up. After finishing packing the rest of his supplies for a most likely several day visit to the 'Forest of Death' and any potential test afterwards, Naruto and Yukiko turned in for the night.

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Konoha. The sun was shining, there was a lovely breeze, and three Grass shinobi were mutilated, dumped in a ditch somewhere. Unfortunately nobody knew about that last part yet. At the moment, most of Konoha's attention was focused on the Genin gathering at the entrance to Training Ground 44.

Anko waited a few moments for it to be 9:00, "Okay brats. Welcome to Training Ground 44, affectionately called 'The Forest of Death'!"

Anko winked at Naruto, signaling him to start something. Anko and himself shared a love of pranks. It was a great way to let off steam against villagers. Naruto thought for a moment, then came up with an idea.

"'Forest of Death' huh? Doesn't look so tough to me!" he yelled, drawing everyone's attention to him. Anko took this opportunity to throw a kunai at his head, slicing the cheek open just enough to draw blood. Almost instantly she was behind him, and to freak everyone out she licked up the blood dripping down his cheek.

"Mmm. The lively ones always have the best blood. We'll probably find more of yours before this test is over." she cooed seductively. One of Anko's many talents was pulling off 'sexy' and 'creepy as hell' at the same time.

Before she could continue with her fun, she felt a presence behind her and moved to strike whoever was stupid enough to try and sneak up behind her. She came face to face with a kunoichi from Kusagakure. She was holding the kunai Anko threw with an extremely long tongue. Something about this girl seemed to remind the eccentric proctor of someone. The girl returned the kunai to Anko.

"Umm.. Thanks. Next time try not to sneak up behind me alright? It's a good way to get yourself killed." she scolded.

"I'm sorry. It's just blood gets me excited, and your kunai cut my precious hair." the creepy kunoichi replied. Yukiko and Naruto noticed the smell of snake coming off this kunoichi. They new that it was expected with Anko now, but this new kunoichi practically _reeked_ of snake. If someone smelled of snake and wasn't Anko, it was probably trouble. Snakes don't tend to keep friendly company.

"Anyways... Let's get the explanation for the test underway. First of all, every team will get either a Scroll of Heaven or a Scroll of Earth. Your objective is to obtain the scroll your team does not have while keeping your own. You will have five days to get to the tower in the middle of the forest."

"Five days? What are we supposed to do about food?!" Chouji yelled. It was usually never a good idea to get between an Akimichi and their food.

"There is plenty of food in the forest! Just don't become food yourselves. Also, don't open the scrolls before you get to the tower." Anko warned.

"What happens if you do?" a random Genin asked.

"Not telling! But you won't like it" the snake kunoichi hinted with a creepy grin, "Now then. Before we start you will need to fill out these waiver's saying it isn't Konoha's fault if you get your ass killed in there. Killing is allowed in this portion of the test. Go with your teams to the table to trade in your waivers for a scroll, then move to the gate you are told."

Some of the Genin seemed nervous that killing was allowed in this portion of the test, but every team signed their waivers and picked up a scroll. Team 7 happened to get a Heaven Scroll, and moved to Gate 15 where they were assigned. Naruto quickly came up with a plan and turned to his team.

"Okay here is my plan guys. Yukiko and I will take point since we can smell anyone coming. I'll make a few Kage Bunshin to make a perimeter to help keep us from being ambushed. Sasuke will hold onto our scroll, and Sakura will bring up the rear. We will head to the tower and deal with any teams we encounter on the way. At the tower if we still don't have the other scroll we can set up traps for one of the other teams." the ice wielder explained.

"Hn. Whatever dead last. You two just better not get in my way." Sasuke told his two team mates. He didn't need these two losers. He snatched the scroll from Naruto's hands and put it in one of his pockets. Sakura just squealed at how cool Sasuke was and did not really notice that he found her incapable of helping him. After a few minutes the gates opened, and Team 7 sped off into the forest to begin the second portion of the Chuunin Exams.

* * *

Team 7 had been traveling in their formation for a few hours now and had yet to encounter any other teams. Naruto was slightly on edge. He and Yukiko felt that something bad was going to happen, but they couldn't sense anyone nearby. Suddenly he felt some of his Kage Bunshin rapidly be killed.

"Oh shit..." Naruto whispered. Then a surge of chakra and a powerful wind blew him and his fox companion away from their teammates.

Sasuke and Sakura recovered from their shock of seeing Naruto and his fox tossed away like nothing and then the creepy Grass nin from earlier appeared in front of them. Sasuke tensed before throwing a kunai towards the neck of the kunoichi, who caught it like it was nothing.

"Kukukuku. Good Sasuke-kun. Let's see how you handle this." the kunoichi told the two remaining members of Team 7 before unleashing a massive amount of killing intent. To Sakura and Sasuke it felt like they were watching their own deaths at the hands of this girl. Both were currently paralyzed in fear, but Sasuke began struggling to move. He reached for a kunai, and with a trembling hand managed to stab himself in the leg. Immediately he was brought out from the effects of the killing intent and with a quick flash of hand seals launched his trademark _Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_. The sizable fireball sped toward the Grass nin and it appeared that the kunoichi was toasted, before she turned to mud and melted into the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto and Yukiko crashed into a tree, temporarily stunning the two companions. Before the two could fully recover a massive snake came out from the trees near them and quickly swallowed them whole. The demon container and companion shook off the disgust of being inside a giant snake.

"Well shit. We need to get out this snake fast Yukiko-chan before he starts digesting us. I doubt he'd just let us walk out of his mouth, so we'll just have to make a new exit. _Hyoton: Tsurara Tsume_!" he yelled, the sound echoing down the snake's massive esophagus. Long claws of ice formed on Naruto's fingers, and he began tearing his way out. It did not take long to make a hole large enough to escape with Yukiko's help. Before the snake could hit the ground dead it went up with a puff of smoke.

"A summon? The only people who can summon snakes are Anko and... Oh fuck. Yukiko-chan we need to get back to Sasuke and Sakura NOW! I don't know why he is here but this is bad." Naruto told his companion quickly before trying to lock onto his teammates scent. He hoped they were still alive.

* * *

Naruto and Yukiko arrived to see the Grass nin's neck stretch to impossible lengths and bite down hard on Sasuke's neck. Sasuke screamed out in pain before dropping unconscious. Sakura screamed, hoping her Sasuke-kun was still alive. Naruto reentered her thoughts when she heard him call out to the girl who bit Sasuke-kun.

"What are you doing here Orochimaru? And what did you do to Sasuke?" he growled out. Yukiko had her fangs barred, ready to pounce at a moments notice.

"Kukuku... I just left Sasuke-kun a present. Now I just need to deal with you Naruto-kun." Orochimaru chuckled, still behind the face of the Grass kunoichi.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else Orochimaru! _Hyoton: Tsurara Tsume_!" the ice wielder called out, ice claws growing from his fingertips. Once they had finished forming Naruto and Yukiko vanished, reappearing on Orochimaru's sides. Naruto slashed high while Yukiko attempted to bite the snake summoner's thigh. Neither attack landed as the man seemed to contort out of the way of both attacks, as if he had no bones. With a quick retaliatory kick and slap Yukiko and Naruto were sent flying into trees. Yukiko's head was the first thing to hit the tree, knocking the poor fox unconscious. Naruto was only slightly luckier having remained awake after his impact.

"So you can use ice Naruto-kun... Interesting. It is such a shame that I can't leave you the same present as Sasuke-kun. I believe your fox friend is now unconscious, so I can play with you uninterrupted."

"You... bastard..." Naruto barked out while attempting to recover from being smashed into the tree. At the same time the jinchuuriki was desperately trying to keep his emotions in check to prevent the fox from coming out again. In the back of his mind he could feel the bastard fox slamming against the cage. Naruto knew that he didn't stand a chance against the Snake Sannin but he hoped he could delay until help arrived. Back on two feet, he began hand seals for one of his more powerful attacks.

"Take this snake-bastard! _Hyoton: Sensatsu Suishou_!" he called out, as a thousand needles of ice formed around his body. With a wave of his arm they flew toward his target. Not waiting to see if any hit their mark Naruto moved in ducking low to swipe at Orochimaru's legs with his claws. Upon landing his hit, the snake summoner dissolved into mud.

"Shit! Where is he? Behind me!" he yelled in frustration while turning around to see Orochimaru going through several hand seals.

"_Katon: Housenka no Jutsu_" Orochimaru announced before breathing out multiple balls of fire.

Not having time to dodge, Naruto began his defensive technique, "_Suiton: Suijinheki_!" he called out as a wall of water rose up to block the spheres of fire. The immediate threat stopped Naruto searched for the smell of snakes once more, before his eyes widened at receiving a harsh chop to the back of the neck, knocking the demon container out cold. Orochimaru turned to a terrified Sakura.

"Kukuku. I must take my leave before anyone finds me here. Make sure Sasuke-kun seeks me out and Naruto-kun stays out of the way if he knows what is good for him." the Snake Sannin hissed before dissolving into mud one last time.

* * *

Sakura spent the next half hour moving the unconscious bodies of Sasuke, Naruto, and Yukiko to a hallowed out tree she found nearby. Sasuke had a very high fever and was sweating profusely, but there was nothing she could do. This was the first time that her team really depended on her, and she didn't know what to do. The pink-haired kunoichi prayed that no other teams would find them until at least her Sasuke-kun woke up so he could protect them. Kami would not answer her prayers this day, however.

Hearing something in the bushes nearby, Sakura threw a kunai, only to see that it was a squirrel. She let out a breath of relief. Now she noticed the presence of three ninjas. The three quickly landed in the clearing outside the hollowed out tree, staring directly at Sakura. She shivered under their gaze. It was the three Sound nin from the first exam. One had a strange metal gauntlet on one arm, and had his face wrapped in bandages. The middle one wore a tan tunic and had black hair in a similar style to her sensei Kakashi. The final nin was a kunoichi wearing a sleeveless green vest and her long black hair was tied at the end with a purple bow. The first one stepped up to speak for his group.

"We're here to kill Uchiha Sasuke, by orders of Orochimaru-sama. Get out of the way." he ordered.

Sakura was afraid, but they were going to kill her love. "I-I w-won't let you k-kill him!" she yelled as she stood up, kunai in hand. The pink-haired kunoichi doubted that she could defeat these three, but she had to try. With a small battle cry she charged ahead in an attempt to stab the one who had threatened Sasuke. With no effort at all he stopped her by grabbing her by the neck.

"Pathetic bitch. You consider yourself a ninja? Maybe Zaku and I could have a little fun with you before we take out Sasuke. A bitch like you needs to learn her place!" the Sound nin said, with his lecherous grin hidden behind his facial bandages. Zaku chuckled evilly as Sakura's eyes went wide in horror.

'They wouldn't... no!" she shrieked in her mind.

"Dosu! Zaku! Stop this! Let's just complete our mission for Orochimaru-sama and get out of here. You can't do th-" the Sound kunoichi yelled at her teammates before being knocked out by Zaku. After knocking her out he spat at her, "Shut up you stupid bitch. We'll deal with you later. But for now this pink whore has our... interest."

Sakura was squirming, trying her best to get out of the grip of Dosu. It was no use though, his grip on her was tight and he held her out of reach of the rest of his body. Now with their kunoichi teammate out of the way to prevent interruptions, Dosu slammed Sakura to the ground before flipping her over. Zaku held her down while Dosu took out a kunai. With one quick swipe Sakura's battle dress and bra were cut through from her stomach up.

'N-no! This can't be happening! Oh Kami! Someone please help me! Sasuke-kun. Naruto. Yukiko. Anyone!' Sakura yelled in her mind. She couldn't speak after Dosu's harsh grip around her throat. Sakura shut her eyes and screamed silently as Dosu and Zaku descended upon her.

* * *

Back in the hallowed out tree, Yukiko's eyes gradually opened. Quickly taking in her surroundings, she saw that Sasuke and Naruto were out cold. Where was Sakura? Moving out a bit more she saw Sakura on the ground with two ninja standing over her, one holding her down while the other groped her breasts. Shit! She needed Naruto up NOW. The snow fox quickly pounced onto Naruto before giving him a harsh bite on his arm. Thankfully it was enough to wake him up.

"OW! What was that for Yukiko-chan? Where is... SAKURA!" Naruto yelled out, finally seeing the danger Sakura was in. The jinchuuriki charged forward while releasing Kubikiri Houchou from its seal.

"Get off of Sakura you bastards!" the demon container growled before piercing Dosu through the heart. Meanwhile Yukiko had charged at Zaku and managed to bite his shin. Naruto pushed off Dosu's body with a kick and used the momentum of the kick to enter a spin while twisting the blade into a horizontal slash.. Before Zaku could react, his head had been separated from his shoulders. A quick moment later and blood burst from the body, covering both Naruto and Sakura while the body slumped onto the ground. Naruto turned look for the third person, who appeared to be knocked unconscious. Based on the facts she was not awake and she was female, she probably disapproved of her team's actions. For this she would live.

"How DARE they!" the jinchuuriki growled, before flicking the blade to remove the blood. After sealing Kubikiri Houchou back into his wrist. He looked down to see a blood covered Sakura, completely terrified. The jinchuuriki didn't really have time to think about what he had just done. He needed to help Sakura get through this.

"Are you okay.... Sakura?" the blue-haired boy asked cautiously, hoping she wouldn't be afraid of him after what he'd done and what those Sound nin did. The events finally caught up to her and she jumped into his arms, bawling. Naruto tensed at the sudden contact before slowly stroking her back in a calming motion.

"It's okay now Sakura. Those bastards can't do anything to you now. Yukiko and I made sure of it. Let's get back into the tree and we'll fix your clothes up okay?" Naruto cooed, trying to calm the hysteric girl down, although it was going to be difficult after what she had just gone through. Naruto was glad that he stopped them before they could get further. Sakura managed to give him a small nod and was led back into the tree. Before following, Yukiko searched the two bodies for the scroll, and found a Scroll of Earth on Dosu. She was unsettled by the two bodies, and quickly moved to her companion's side holding the scroll in her mouth.

After helping Sakura sit down, Naruto took a scroll from one of his vest pockets and unsealed a small sewing kit.

"After the Wave mission I thought it'd be a good idea to bring this so I could mend any damaged clothes. Is it okay if I sew your dress back together for you? If you don't want me to touch you near there I understand." the boy said softly. Sakura gave another tiny nod along with a sob to say it was fine. Before Naruto could start he felt a surge of evil chakra come from behind him. Looking behind him, he saw Sasuke standing up, black marks covering part of his face and arm.

"This power... Yes! I can use this power to kill him!" Sasuke said, an evil chuckle following. Sasuke then noticed Naruto, "Fight me."

"Sasuke. This really isn't the time, Sakura needs help right now. And what the hell happened to you?" the demon container barked out. He wasn't sure but Sasuke definitely didn't seem very sane at the moment, and Sakura didn't anything else to happen today.

"I don't care. Whatever happened to that slut she deserved. Fight me." Sasuke said with a smirk. The Uchiha quickly found out that was the wrong thing to say, as he was slammed into the wall by a furious Naruto.

"What was that bastard? You are no better than those two Sound nin. I should kill you right now. This isn't the time though, so go back to sleep you sick fuck." Naruto growled, doing his very best to not let the fox take control, although it was very tempting. He reached into his left weapon pouch and pulled out some senbon, and stabbed the proper pressure points to knock the Uchiha out for a good while. That dealt with, Naruto returned his attention to Sakura. She had gone back into shock after what Sasuke had said. She was pulled back to reality by a comforting nuzzle from Yukiko. She looked up at Naruto, tears streaming from her eyes. He was all she had right now to keep sane.

"Don't worry about that bastard. We'll deal with him later. For now let's get you cleaned up." Naruto said with a calming smile. Her shirt was sewn back together after a few minutes. Making a quick cross seal two Kage Bunshin popped into existence.

"Sakura? We need to get you to a medic, and Sasuke will be out for a while, so we should head to the tower now that we have both scrolls. I'll carry both of you with my Kage Bunshin okay. I won't let anything happen to you." he promised before one Kage Bunshin tossed Sasuke quite violently over his shoulder while the other gently picked up Sakura and carried her bridal style. After making sure the area was clear, Yukiko and Naruto carrying the rest of Team 7 rushed to the tower.

* * *

Team 7 managed to avoid encountering any other teams and made it to the tower safely. Naruto's clones set Sakura and Sasuke down and assumed he needed to open both scrolls now. The two scrolls unfurled across each other and with a puff of smoke Iruka appeared.

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto called out.

"Naruto! It's you. Oh Kami-sama! What happened? SOMEONE GET MEDICS HERE NOW!" Iruka yelled out, panicking at seeing the condition two of his students were in.

"Way too much Iruka-sensei. Sakura had a very traumatizing experience in the forest and should probably have someone treat her psychologically as well as physically. The bastard over here I knocked out myself after he woke up from getting a weird hickey from Orochimaru." the boy said, motioning with his thumb to the still out cold Uchiha.

"Oro-orochimaru?! I'll go tell the Hokage! Wait here for the medics!" Iruka stammered out before leaving to go find the Hokage. As he left the medics arrived to take care of Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto and Yukiko wandered around the tower before finding a room he could claim. Collapsing on the bed he relaxed for the first time since he awoke from Orochimaru's attack.

'Well that could not have been fucked up any further.' the jinchuuriki thought to himself before finally falling asleep, Yukiko curled up at his side.

* * *

**Jutsu List**

**Hyoton: Makyou Hyou Shou (Ice Release: Demonic Ice Mirrors) **- Creates mirror constructs made of ice the user can step into. The mirrors allow travel at a much faster rate than normal, and are difficult to destroy.

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) –** Creates a number of solid clones that can act independently and have their own chakra. Things learned by the clone are sent to the user upon dispersal.

**Hyoton: Tsurara Tsume (Ice Release: Icicle Claws)** - Creates sharp claws formed of chakra enhanced ice around the fingers of the user. The claws are razor sharp and are cold enough to damage on contact.

**Hyoton: Sensatsu Suishou (Ice Release: One Thousand Needles of Death)** - Creates one thousand needles made of ice that fly toward the target.

**Katon: Goukyakuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) ** - User breathes out a large fireball to burn an enemy.

**Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique) - **User breathes out multiple small fireballs to hit a wide area.

**Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)** - Wall made of water defends user from attacks

* * *

**Author's Note: That was one hell of a chapter to write. Hopefully it turned out okay. I've gone over this chapter quite a few times, but I never know if it good enough to release. Taking a gamble with this current form. I have a feeling at a later date I'll be revising these last two chapters. I hope the Sakura fans don't hate me. Anyways, next chapter will be the preliminary matches of the Chuunin exam! Hopefully it will be up in less than a week.**


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